Release Images

Release No.: 2009-02
For Release: Monday, January 5, 2009 - 7:30am

Baby Jupiters Must Gain Weight Fast

This photograph from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the young star cluster NGC 2362. By studying it, astronomers found that gas giant planet formation happens very rapidly and efficiently, within less than 5 million years, meaning that Jupiter-like worlds experience a growth spurt in their infancy.